Emotional expression is the link between internal experience and the
outside world. It is intimately connected to who we are, how we feel,
and how we relate to others. In daily life, expression enables people to
communicate with each other and influence relationships; in
psychotherapy, it provides important information about how clients are
feeling and how they are relating to the therapist. This lucid volume
examines expressions of such feelings as love, anger, and sadness, and
highlights the individual and interpersonal processes that shape
emotional behavior. It offers a lively and comprehensive discussion of
the role of emotional expression and nonexpression in individual
adaptation, social interaction, and therapeutic process.
Drawing upon extensive theory and research, the authors provide coherent
guidelines to help clinicians, researchers, and students identify,
conceptualize, and treat problems in emotional behavior. They show that
expression and nonexpression come in many different forms, with a wide
range of personal and relational consequences. The effects of expressing
one's feelings depend on what is expressed, to whom, in what way, and in
what context. Expression can lead to greater self-knowledge, enhanced
coping, and fuller intimacy, but it can also result in embarrassment,
misunderstanding, or rejection. Conversely, nonexpression can involve a
frustrating lack of opportunity to express, or problems in accessing or
articulating feelings, but it can also reflect cultural values or
effective coping efforts. Through vivid clinical examples, the authors
illuminate a range of problems related to both expression and
nonexpression, and provide insight into how these can be addressed in
individual and couple therapy.
This practical and clearly written guide is an important resource for
teachers, students, and researchers of clinical, counseling, social,
personality, and health psychology, as well as practicing counselors and
psychotherapists. It will also serve as a text in advanced undergraduate
and graduate-level courses on emotion and interpersonal communication,
and in graduate-level counseling and psychotherapy seminars.
